Quartz is a partnership between St John’s Dumfries and Wordsmith Crafts CIC. Simon is supported a day a week to work flexibly to support Quartz activities, maintain this site and help people use the arts to experience, explore, and express spirituality through the arts, and for those that choose to, “to enter into our heritage […]
#sensingspirituality in daily life Forest church, Celtic Christianity, Indigenous faith, all of these things have a common theme trying to connect with pre-modern thinking. It’s not exclusive to them! But they are examples of a search for authenticity through a journey to the origin of being. An appreciation of the positive value of “primitive” in […]
In the West our friend Anthony has been involved in setting up “The Contemplative Collective” – an informal network for folk involved with or exploring the more mystical/contemplative side of Christian spirituality (from various traditions). During the run up to Christmas, they will be hosting a series of weekly ‘Lectio Divina’ type gatherings on Zoom […]
QFC on Sunday the 15th of November. Welcome and Peace All are invited. Whether you consider yourself a close friend of Jesus, or are just a wee bit curious we meet in his name and share his peace. We meet in Peace and make peace through meeting. We collect our thoughts together O Lord,forgive the […]
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Crossings
Dumfries has it’s origins in being a crossing place on the river Nith. But the river is also a frontier, a boundary. It separates. Some people build bridges. Some make their lives on the border. Defined by it both in opposition and adoption of it as fact. Some live in the boundary zone. Meanwhile the […]
Halloween 2026 When the nights draw in and the low lying lands around Dumfries become misty, perhaps it is a good time to gather for stories. There is a crowd of folk who can often be found at the riverside tap telling each other the informal stories of the day. Since all hallows eve was […]
Have you ever wondered about Synchronicity vs Syncretism? When are we as humans thinking along the same lines, discovering the same world, and finding things in common. When do we compromise our beliefs to ‘fit in’, get along? There is a phrase, “Half truths make bad fellows” which wisely encourages us not to be conformed. […]
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Contrast
Light and dark, reason and emotion, them and us. We are taught to break things down into simpler pieces in order to understand them. To identify, classify, and assess; advancing knowledge with rational enquiry. If an approach works well in one area of life, it is tempting to apply it to all of life. Life […]
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Autumn Colours
At forest church last weekend we spent time becoming more aware of colours. We collected leaves and arranged them in a pleasant order. The psalm (119) we read described mulling over the words of God. Do we impose order on a chaotic universe, or discover patterns through the nature of things? Or is creativity a […]
We meet in Christ’s name, may His peace be with us all and in us all as we celebrate the beauty of Autumn… Prayer inviting God into our Autumnal world: Father of Faithfulness, Mother of Mercy I awaken to this day. I clothe my soul in the mantle of creation, Heavens of light, earth of […]
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QFC Oct 2026
Gathering as Forest Church 18/10/2026 As is our custom we will meet in the peace of Christ outside the Crichton chapel at 2pm on Sunday. We make peace when we meet in peace.